Automatic fire-alarm.



W. A; F. TOPP.

- AUTOMATIGFIEE ALARML APPLICATION FILED rEB.s,1s11.

1,657,784, vPatented Apr. 1, 1913.

UNITED" STATES PATENT cri ics.

, WILLIAM TOPP AND FRANK 'lOPP, 0F GRANBY, QUEBEC, CANADA.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-ALARM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM Torr and FRANK Torr, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, and residents of the town of Granby, in the Province of Quebec, in the Dominion of Canada, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Fire-Alarms; and we do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the same. 7 The invention relates to improvements in automatic fire alarms, as described in the present specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings that form part of the same.

The invention-consists essentially in the novel device and wiring employed to sound alarms on an abnormal increase of temperature in proximity to said device,

The objects of the invention are to save the destruction of property and lives from fire, to devise a simple arrangement of parts in automatic alarms, and generally to provide an eflicient systemfor notifying occupants of hotels, factories and other places of the presence of a fire in any one part.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a. perspective detail of a sw1tch member. Flg. :2 1s a dragrammatic view of the wiring, showing the switches and translating devices.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the base of a switch member, formed of suitable insulating material having the plate contacts 2 and 3 set therein at one end and thumb screws 4 and 5 turning on correspondin ly threaded pins 6 and 7 projecting upwardly from said cont-acts 2 and 3.

8 is a spring-contact having the forked end 9 sprung into contact with the plates 2 and 3 and projecting from the plate 10, the

latter being set in the base 1 at the opposite end to the plates 2 and 3.

11 is a thumb screw turning on the correspondingly threaded pin 12, the latter projecting upwardly from the late 10.-

13 is a pin or post of usible material, preferably a fusible metal and introduced betweenthe base 1 and the underside of the spring contact 8 and of sufiicient strength to normally; counteract the spring of said cohtact 8 and hold said forked end 9 from engagement with the contacts 2 and 3. It will be thus seen that on sufiicient increase or? the temperature in proximity'to the pin Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A131. 1, i313.

Application filed February 8, 1911. Serial Ito. 607,335.

13, the said pin will melt and thus permit the forked end 9 to engage the contacts 2 and 3 and the result of this will be understood from the following explanation in regard to .the wiring and the alarms.

A, B and C are switch members of the type described hereinbefore.

of the switch member A including the switch the bells 15 and 16 to members B and C and the battery 17. i

19 is a lead wire from the battery 17,

through the switches A, B and C connecting said battery with the contact plates 2 of said switches respectively and terminating at the contact plate 2 of the switch C, therefore, it will be noted that the electric bridging of any one of the plates 2 with any one of the plates 3 will close the circuit includ-' ing said'switches, said bells and said bat tery, consequently all the bells will ring.

The contacts 2 and 3 are respectively closed by a spring contact 8, the forked end of said spring contact bridging the said plates 2 and 3 and in-this way the switches A. and C or as many more as may be re- (Iluired, keep the circuit open as long as the usible pins 13 hold the spring contacts 8 in their upper position.

Presuming this system is installed in a building used for hotel purposes, the switch members are placed in different parts of the building, in fact anywhere that there is a.

chance at all of a fire'gaining head-way.

Very often this place would be in the furnace room or kitchens and consequently these parts will be. particularly well equipped with the switch members, 01 course,.

if it is advisable, said switch members can be installed in every room in the hotel, but perhaps that may not be necessary. The alarm bells, however, will be distributed throughout the building, particularly in the sleeping rooms of the guests and employees and the executive-and these will all be in the main wire from the battery running back through the switches and terminating at the first switch. The other lead wire, of course, establishes the connection through any one of said switches and in'nnediately a hotel and any sleeping guests l. he once ilYl'Ili'QHCd and have ample 0 leave the building in safety. e i l hat we claim as our invention is:

It. In an mitoniatic fire alarm, a. switch member"comprising a base plate, a pair of we act plates lying on the surface of said l date at one end thereof, a, spring eon- ..ecured to said base at one end and inlei. icdiutely and terminating in a of inwardly extending pointed tines led to respectively Contact said Contact a "fusible prop between said bowed on and the base plate normallyholding V contuet tines out of engagement with plates, and terminal posts on said conplates.

ii. In an automatic fire alarm, a switch number con'ipi'ising a base plate, a pail" of contact plates lying on the surface of said base plate at one end thereof, a spring contact secured to said base one end and bowed intennediately and terminating in it downwardly extending bifurcated part forming a pair of flaring tines adapted to respectively make rubbing contact at their points With said contact plates, :1 fusible prop between said bowed portion and the base plate normally holding said contact tines out of engagement With the plates and terminal posts on said contact plates.

Signed at the city and districtof Montreal, Quebec, Canada, this second day of February, 1911.

' WlLLl'All l TOPP.

FRANK TOPP. Witnesses:

G. H. TRESIDER, P. SHEE. 

